Prospect Johnson looks to channel inner Wade Davis in move to pen

MESA, Ariz. — Has Pierce Johnson gone from struggling minor-league starter to the next Wade Davis?

Not yet. But on Monday, Cubs manager Joe Maddon made it sound like that’s what could be coming for the first pitcher drafted by the organization under team president Theo Epstein.

After a late-season move to the bullpen at Class AAA Iowa last year, Johnson arrived at big-league camp this spring as a bona fide reliever.

“It’s a different look; it’s a different animal all of a sudden,” Maddon said. “What he had done last year once they put him in the pen, the typical uptick [in velocity], everything. Kind of like a Wade Davis thing.”

Davis, the All-Star closer acquired by the Cubs in a trade Dec. 7, took off once the Rays moved him to the bullpen early in his career.

“I’ve heard nothing but good stuff out of the bullpen with [Johnson],” Maddon said.

Johnson, drafted 43rd overall out of Missouri State in 2012, always has thrown hard and has a breaking ball he calls his best pitch. But command problems in particular plagued him once he reached Class AA in 2014.

“I think the conviction factor for me was the biggest thing,” he said. “As a starter, I wasn’t necessarily timid when I was throwing, but the conviction wasn’t necessarily there for me. So being out of the pen, just letting it go as hard as I can and trying to throw my breaking ball — I think I can live off those two and mix in a changeup — but I really think that’s what clicked for me.”

Johnson, 25, pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning against the White Sox, striking out $31.5 million prospect Yoan Moncada looking.

Moving to the bullpen, he said, “gives me the freedom to just be myself and just let my pitches do what they can.”

In 11 relief appearances last year, he had a 3.22 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 13 walks in 22⅓ innings. In 11 starts, he went 1-6 with a 7.75 ERA and 6.6 walks per nine innings.

“Starting’s my first love. I’m not going to lie,” Johnson said. “But change is good. And as Joe has said this year, he wants people to be uncomfortable. So I’m being uncomfortable right now. It’s definitely a transition, but I think it could work out in the end.”

Big return for Rosscup

Almost lost in the game Sunday against the Indians was a quick, scoreless inning by Zac Rosscup that could be an early sign of left-handed depth in the bullpen.

Rosscup, a favorite of pitching coach Chris Bosio coming up, gave up a soft single, then got a pop-up and double-play grounder in his first game action since undergoing shoulder-debridement surgery in May.

“It felt great,” said Rosscup, who spent parts of three seasons on the big-league roster. “I was a little amped up, but I think that’s normal, missing all last year and the long road.”

Rosscup, 28, could become an important part of the Cubs’ bullpen inventory at Iowa.